Walk on the Wild Side with an Exquisite and Stylish Powder Room

Bump up the drama to create the most talked-about room in the house.

Get ready to have some fun: The powder room is where you can live out your wildest design fantasies. That splashy wallpaper you’ve been wanting to pull the trigger on? The inky paint color that you love but are shy about swathing an entire room in? The pricey tile you would give your eye teeth for? The powder room is where it all belongs. Perhaps not all of it at the same time, but then again, why not? Here are five ideas for creating a powder room that will be your favorite room:

Create dramatic walls

The world is your oyster, and so are your powder room walls. Take the opportunity to be bold—choose a wild or wildly sophisticated wallpaper, pick a favorite paint color off your Pinterest page, or install the Joanna Gaines-approved shiplap paneling you’ve been swooning over on Fixer Upper —and paint it Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year, Simply White, for an instant farmhouse vibe. (Don’t neglect the ceiling! It, too, can be painted or wallpapered.)

Let the vanity take top billing

Without a shower or tub to steal the spotlight, the powder room vanity will be center stage—plus, it will likely provide the only storage in this small space. We’ve made each of our vanities to be traffic-stoppers and conversation starters—from the soulful detail of reclaimed barn wood in our Americana vanities, to the elegant second life of our upcycled wine stave Vintner’s Vanities.

Have fun with your tile

The average powder room measures 20 square feet—likely the smallest room in a home—a veritable pipsqueak! This makes it more feasible to pick out the most exquisite and exciting tile you can find—the graphic cement tile that you may have otherwise overlooked because of the price tag or the marble backsplash that is so beautiful it almost hurts. See: That pipsqueak just became prom queen.

Pack a punch with the sink

Since hand-washing will be the activity most frequently happening in your powder room, you may wish to select a sink that elevates the experience. A hammered copper sink, glamorous brushed nickel sink, or silky smooth concrete sink will do the trick. Or you may want to consider making a splash with a vessel sink that adds a sculptural element.

Define and refine with fixtures

We love the mixed metals trend permeating the kitchen and bath industry, but with only a faucet, towel bar, and toilet paper holder to consider, many choose a single fixture finish to unify the powder room. Whatever you decide, here again, is a chance to swing for the fences and select a special faucet and accessories. Further, pull the look together with a coordinating soap dish and canisters, tissue holder, and waste bin.

More powder room ideas

Use your half bath to display a small collection of artwork, inject life and purify the air with a plant or two (orchids, succulents or manicured boxwoods are favorites), wow guests with a unique mirror and flatter them by installing a pair of sconces on either side of a mirror rather than a single fixture overhead.

Find out how designer Jamie Banfield layers texture and color to create a powder room sensory show piece; learn more about creating fabulous powder rooms using reclaimed wood, integrated sinks, and cabin decor.